Amendments to an Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw or Zoning Bylaw may be required when the proposed use or density of a property is not permitted in the current zoning.

When there is an application for an OCP or Zoning Bylaw amendment, the application will be considered by the Regional District Board, the applicable Advisory Planning Commission (APC), referral agencies and by the public.

The bylaw amendment process requires an application fee, a public information meeting, a public hearing and referral to a local APC before the Regional District Board makes a decision.

Effective January 1, 2022, the application fees for an amendment bylaw application are $2,500.00.

For more general information, view our OCP & Zoning Bylaw Amendment Brochure.

To complete an application, please fill out the OCP & Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application Form.

For details on Site Notification requirements, view our Site Notification Brochure.

For major developments requiring an OCP amendment, please complete the Regional Growth Strategy Sustainability Checklist.

For information on participating in and attending public hearings conducted by the Regional District, please view our page on: Public Hearings

Public Information Meetings

The Regional District requires that a public information meeting (PIM) be held for all applications requesting an amendment to an Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw or Zoning Bylaw prior to consideration of 1^st reading of the amending bylaw.

In addition, applications for a Temporary Use Permit (TUP), including certain renewals are also required to hold a PIM prior to consideration of the permit by the Regional District Board.

A PIM is an opportunity for the community to be informed of an application and to ask questions of an applicant as well as Regional District staff.

While an applicant is responsible for the scheduling of a PIM, the Regional District does provide the option for a proposal to be considered in a pre-scheduled electronic PIM (via the WebEx meeting software) organized and led by Regional District staff.

Applicants must request that their application be included on a Regional District PIM Agenda by the deadline specified below:

NOTE: the separate deadline date for inclusion of an application on a PIM Agenda is to allow for appropriate notification of the meeting to adjacent residents and property owners of the land under application.

NOTE: PIMs will generally be held in 30 minute increments starting at 7:00 p.m.  When multiple PIMs are scheduled for the same day, it should be expected that some will start later than 7:00 p.m. (e.g. start times could include 7:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.).

Under the Regional District’s Development Procedures Bylaw No. 2500, 2011, a PIM should be held between Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays.  Notice of a PIM is to be mailed to surrounding residents and property owners within a distance of not less than 100 metres.